The Early Word on the D.C. Version of Lunchbox

When Lunchbox opened in Frederick, Maryland, it drew some fans, but foot traffic couldn't support its longtime existence. But things are busier during lunch hours in Chevy Chase. How will Bryan Voltaggio's sandwich, soup and salad spot be received? Here's what the first bloggers, Yelpers and others have to say about the new Lunchbox.

The Early Kinks News: Zagat warns its readers to be wary of "the fact that they are still working out the kinks. It's fairly chaotic in there, the soft-serve machine wasn't working and the sandwiches looked a bit beaten up (and skimpy on the meat) when unwrapped." [Zagat]

The Good Bread News: PoPville commenter NW DC writes, "I went today – sandwiches are really, really good and the handmade sodas are great too. The sandwich bread is pretty amazing. They were a bit frantic with the service and it wasn't totally organized, but that is to be expected on a restaurant's opening day. I bet in a few weeks it will be an all around great experience." [PoP]

The Order Dessert News: Also on PoPville, dcviajera says, "Their sweets were really tasty, [particularly] the cookies!" [PoP]

The Damn Good News: UrbanDaddy claims they make a "damn good sandwich...In a few days they'll have four drafts, but for now, content yourself with liquids like housemade cranberry or mango soda, or milkshakes like Birthday Cake and Blueberry Cobbler." [UD]

The Better Than Mom Used to Make News: On Twitter, @ProfEdwards says, "Mom never packed me a lunchbox this good! #fabulous" [Twitter]

The Worth the Wait News: Also on Twitter, @idiottech observes, "While the wait was long today at @VOLTlunchbox, my reuben was well worth the wait. Thanks @BryanVoltaggio." [Twitter]

The Salty News: Pascale says on Facebook, "I went yesterday. While I wanted to LOVE it, there were a few issues.... My "Virginian" sandwich had great flavor profiles, but it was super salty and almost inedible! I think the combination of several salt-cured meats plus salty grainy mustard took it over the top. My boyfriend had the meatloaf sandwich which was very good on a house-made dill biscuit." [Facebook]

The Banh Mi Blues: On Don Rockwell, KeithA writes, "First time ever at Lunchbox (never made it to Frederick) and was disappointed. Had the Southern Fried Bahn Mi sandwich - fried chicken, liver spread, pickle, herbs, and bread. I think I may have chose badly and they need to work out the kinks. I got a to go order even though I said it was for here (not busy either as it was well after the lunch rush), then opened my box to find a good size very soft bread roll (not sure how that is a baguette at all - more like a soft, bit sweet [Portuguese] roll) with about half filled with the rest of the sandwich. $10 for literally a smallish fried chicken tenderloin that wasn't anything special, maybe 2 pickle chips, 2 cilantro leaves, a mayo spread and liver spread." [DR]

The Delicious News: Lunchbox is currently earning 3 Stars on Yelp with 3 Reviews in. Kevin O. says the food is "quite delicious. On my first and only visit thus far, I ordered the b'more (Peppered pit beef with bacon jam and cheddar) which was quite tasty all around. It is true that the bacon jam is overpowered by the remainder of the sandwich, but even so, it's still awesome. I ordered applesauce as a side, and it was by far the best applesauce I've ever tasted." [Yelp]

The Taco Bell But Not In A Good Way News: Erin R. writes her salad "tasted like the inside of a taco bell taco. This is minorly my fault for not ordering salad dressing but they had no options that went with a mexican salad. The skirt steak was FLAVORLESS. And therefore kind of gross. I'm assuming the pieces of green pepper were the charred salsa?  IDK, this salad was really really bad." [Yelp]

The Bahn Mi Blues, Take Two: Venu N says "The newest iteration of Lunchbox is far more extravagant than its original location, but the results on opening day were a bit uneven. The vision behind a Southern fried banh mi is marvelous (featuring Southern fried chicken with picked veggies, liver mousse, and cilantro-mint), yet the amalgam of flavors was surprisingly bland. I found myself wishing for a traditional banh mi at half the cost and twice the flavor." [Yelp]
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